


I'll Protect You, So Don't You Worry

by kingsofhawkins



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Abusive Neil Hargrove, I just want Billy to be happy, M/M, Neil Hargrove Being an Asshole, One Slur, Pre-Relationship, Protective Steve Harrington, So I find I like to write soft boys falling in love at the end of the story so, Tenderness, The bat makes an appearance, badass Steve Harrington
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:01:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25860106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingsofhawkins/pseuds/kingsofhawkins
Summary: He shoves a bag of baby carrots against the bruising. Steve eyes the makeshift ice pack.“Max hates peas so Susan doesn’t buy them.” Billy offers when he catches Steves stare.“Right, do you have a first aid kit?” Billy wrinkles his nose and shakes his head.“Maxine used all the Neosporin and gauze when she had her last skateboard accident, Neil never bought more.” Steve grits his teeth.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 2
Kudos: 171





	I'll Protect You, So Don't You Worry

Steve is almost sure that when he holds the nail filled bat up to Neil he’s going to kill this motherfucker. Neil shrinks when Steve puffs his chest and squares his shoulder, planting his feet and drawing back ready to swing. Billy stands behind him, beaten to a pulp, not saying anything. Steve feels strong, a sick rush of power.

“Fine, protect that filthy faggot, see if I care.” Neil finally says, jaw clenched as he takes a step back.

“Nah man, you don’t get to get away with what you’ve done to him. I want you to leave, don’t even pack your shit, just leave and get the fuck away from Hawkins before I smash your skull so far in that don’t make it out alive.” Steve threatens as he draws the bat back even further.

Neil stands there for a moment, before turning around to the kitchen bench to grab his keys. He holds them tight in his fist and inches past Steve slowly as Steve turns to follow him, making sure he’s in front of Billy the entire time. Steve follows Neil out the front and watches him get into his car, Neil watching him the whole time. Steve decides to swing the bat at Neils passenger mirror, it goes hurtling to the concrete and glass smashes when it collides, Neil jumps in his seat. Steve taps the window with the end of the bat and Neil winds it down.

“I’ve seen real monsters around here Mr Hargrove but they’ve got nothing on you. Take this as your one and only warning.” Steve smiles his fake preppy boy smile and walks away from the car, listening to it peel away from the driveway.

The adrenaline coursing through him starts to wane, he feels tired and shaky but he heads back inside, he leaves the bat by the coat rack and wanders in to find Billy sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. Steve walks over broken glass to get to Billy, he sits down next to him and notices the way that Billy flinches. It’s okay, Steve understands, he’s not mad. They sit in silence for a while, Steve wants nothing more than to talk but he can sense Billy isn’t quite ready yet, so he patiently waits. And waits. And waits.

“He wasn’t always such an asshole. I mean I remember before my mom died he actually cared, took me to baseball, helped me with my homework that sorta stuff. Then mom got sick, money was tight with treatments and he had to work so much to make up for the money he was losing. I was a shitty kid after she died, I couldn’t control myself I was so mad at her for dying and then I was mad at myself for not going into the hospital even though she kept asking me to. I guess I said something that pissed him off or maybe I didn’t come home from school on time but he just started beating into me one day, telling me it was all my fault, blaming me for every little thing that went wrong and I believed him because I was just a kid. I thought every kid got their ass handed to them by their dads.” Billy is crying, clutching his chest as he tries to catch his breath.

“Billy, none of what happened was your fault. It still isn’t, Neil is an asshole and needed to blame something and you were just the nearest thing. It doesn’t make it right, it’ll never make it right but you’re here now, still alive, with that monster out of your life. And if he tries to come back I’ll kill him before he can. I won’t let him hurt you ever again, you matter and you’re more than some punching bag, some easy excuse. You’re human and you deserve to be treated like one.” Steve grabs Billy’s hand and squeezes.

Billy looks up at him, tears in his eyes and lets out a sob turned laugh.

“You’re one scary motherfucker Harrington.” Billy squeezes his hand back.

Steve shrugs.

“I care too much to lose you, or anyone for that matter.”

Billy wipes his eyes before looking over to the broken lamp.

“I better clean that up before Susan and Max get back.” Billy nods towards the mess.

“You get a trash bag and I’ll start cleaning?” Steve suggests.

“You don’t need to take care of me Harrington, you’ve already scared my dad away, I think I can take it from here.” Billy stands up from the floor and winces. His ribs must be killing him.

“Try saying that again without screwing your face up in pain and maybe I’ll reconsider my offer.” Steve stands up as well and watches as Billy tries to say it again.

“Fine whatever, broom and dustpan’s the cupboard in the hallway.” Billy eventually submits as he heads into the kitchen.

Steve smiles and goes to grab the broom and dustpan, when he gets back Billy is already waiting with a black garbage bag ready, Steve sweeps the shards of broken glass into a pile before sweeping them up in the dustpan dumping it into the bag when it fills up. He does this a couple of times before grabbing the broken lamp and chucking it in with the rest of the mess.

“Here I’ll bin it, go get some ice or something for your ribs.” Steve orders before taking the trash bag, he takes it out front and throws it into the trash can before coming back in to see Billy pulling his shirt off.

He shoves a bag of baby carrots against the bruising. Steve eyes the makeshift ice pack.

“Max hates peas so Susan doesn’t buy them.” Billy offers when he catches Steves stare.

“Right, do you have a first aid kit?” Billy wrinkles his nose and shakes his head.

“Maxine used all the Neosporin and gauze when she had her last skateboard accident, Neil never bought more.” Steve grits his teeth, he wishes he had swung instead of letting him go.

“Okay I’ll have to do it the way my mom use to when I was younger.” Steve leaves Billy to himself as he goes exploring the house, he stops by the kitchen first grabbing a nearly empty bottle of vodka.

He finds Billys room and steps inside, it’s all boy smell and something so entirely Billy. Steve finds an old t-shirt and slips his shirt off to swap, he walks back to Billy and sets the vodka down before ripping his shirt into strips of fabric.

“Who was your mother?” Billy asks when Steve finishes ripping the shirt up.

“A French hippy.” Steve says as if it explains it all.

“Right, gimme some of that.” Billy nods at the vodka, Steve unscrews it before handing it over.

Billy takes a big swig before giving it back.

“Okay this is gonna hurt so.” Steve wets a piece of cloth and disinfects the cuts on Billys face, he doesn’t flinch just looks blankly ahead.

Something rots inside Steves guts.

Steve does cleans Billy up and then helps him to his room where Billy flops face first onto the mattress, he groans from the sheets when he does.

“Okay well, I’m gonna go, don’t forget to keep treating those wounds Billy, I’m serious.” Steve goes to leave but Billy grabs his wrist.

“Stay.” Billy looks up at him with sad eyes, it yanks Steves heart right out of his chest.

“What about Susan and Max?”

“What about them?” Steve fidgets where he stands.

“I don’t want them to get the wrong idea, for your sake.”

“Susan and Max already know I’m gay Steve, relax.” Billy smiles softly and wow Steve doesn’t think he’ll ever leave.

“Okay just for a little while though. I gotta drop Dustin home after the arcade.” Steve tells Billy, Billy nods and tugs Steve down so they’re both laying on their stomachs facing each other.

“Thanks Steve.” Billy says quietly, hand coming up to brush some of Steve’s hair out of his face.

“I’ll always be there to protect you Billy. I’ll always keep you safe, I swear.” Steve promises.

“I know.” Billy takes his hand and laces their fingers together.

“I know.”


End file.
